My Department actively promotes gender balance on the State Boards under its auspices.
Since September 2014 the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has responsibility for managing an open, accessible, rigorous and transparent system to support Ministers in making appointments to State boards.
Under the Guidelines for Appointments to State Boards, these board positions are advertised and recruited through the dedicated website, www.stateboards.ie.
This process enables accomplished, experienced, and qualified people, from all relevant sectors, to apply to be considered for particular vacancies and to register to have suitable vacancies notified to them.
The table here provides the Gender Balance Percentage for the Agencies under my remit. These Boards exceed the Government target of a minimum of 40% representation of each gender in the membership of State Boards, with the exception of Water Safety Ireland which has a Gender Balance Percentage: Female (38%), Male (62%) and this is a matter which is being kept under review
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Board
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Gender Balance Percentage: Female
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Gender Balance Percentage: Male
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Western Development Commission
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50%
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50%
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Charities Regulatory Authority
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42%
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58%
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Pobal
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60%
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40%
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Water Safety Ireland
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38%
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62%
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The membership of the Charities Regulatory Authority is set out under the Charities Act 2009. The 2009 Act provides that the Minister ensure that members are persons with requisite knowledge and expertise.
The membership of the Council of Water Safety Ireland is set out under the Water Safety Ireland (Establishment) Order 2019. All appointments must meet the specific and detailed criteria determined by the relevant Minister, in consultation with the Chair, as necessary for a member of a particular Board.
When seeking expressions of interest for appointment to the Pobal Board in 2020 the booklet issued stated “The Minister for Rural and Community Development invites expressions of interest from members of the public with significant expertise, which should be evidenced in their application". The Pobal Board is drafting a Board Competency Framework to support the Chairperson to assist the Department in drawing up the specification for Board appointments and ensuring that it has due regard for the benefits of diversity on the Board including gender, as required by the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.
My Department participated on the Inter-Departmental Group on gender balance chaired by the Department of Justice, and has brought the Group’s recommendations to the attention of each of the agencies under our remit. The Inter-Departmental Group recommendations are invaluable in providing guidance to focus on actions which are supportive of building a gender balanced culture.
